CHAPTER 39: WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

Hunter crashed Lucien’s mouth as he kissed him deeply and tenderly, he stated slow as he took his time to marvel around Lucien mouth, he felt Lucien’s resistant at first as he tried to pull away from the kiss , his grip tightened on his waist as he pulled him close

Lucien tried to push him and Hunter easily took his hand and pinned them above his head with one hand , he pulled back slightly from the kiss and looked at Lucien , he could see the way and feel how much Lucien wanted him as much as he wanted him , but he knew Lucien was too damn stubborn to accept this temptation

Hunter placed his hand on his forehead "what wrong chiquittin ?, i don’t even love Tracy , you know that its a contract marriage? , " he said as his free hand brushed at his lower lip, hoping to at least calm the tension that was built around them. Hunter’s voice drops, low and rough, almost a growl."Why are you running from me, chiquitín?"

Lucien’s breath hitched as he looked at him , why did it feel so nice, but felt so wrong, he stood silent for a while as his mind stood conflicted , unsure of what he could say right now

"penny for your thoughts?" Hunter murmured , voice a low rumble "you have got that look on your face again. The one that says you are thinking about everything and nothing all at one" he tilted his chin towards him ,forcing Lucien to meet his gaze in the reflection. Hunters eyes were intense, searching , trying to read the secret behind those eyes .

Lucien looked at him , and he felt his body betraying him under such intensity , "please , talk to me . tell me what you’re thinking, what you are feeling, i.....i need to know, Lucien. I need to understand how i can make this right " Hunter continued not one breaking contact with Lucien

Lucien swallows, throat tight. "Hunter... this, whatever you think this is, can’t happen."

Hunter studies him with an intensity that feels like it cuts straight through bone. His eyes flicker across Lucien’s face, searching, reading, memorizing.

"You think I don’t know what I feel?" Hunter murmurs, leaning in just enough for Lucien to feel the warmth of his breath. "You think I don’t see it on you too?"

Lucien shoves his shoulder, not to push him away, but to steady himself. "Hunter, you’re getting married. Our family—"

"I don’t love Tracy." Hunter’s voice is sharp, unwavering. "You know that. This whole thing, this engagement, it’s politics. A contract. Nothing more. How many times do i have to explain this to you chiquittin"

Lucien goes still.

Hunter takes a breath and lifts a hand, not touching, hovering just close enough that Lucien can feel the tension vibrating between them.

"Look at me," he says softly.

Lucien does. Against every instinct screaming at him to run, he meets those eyes.

Hunter steps closer. "Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours. You shut me out every time things get real. I need to understand, Lucien. I need to know how to fix this... whatever this is between us."

Lucien’s chest tightens painfully. "Hunter, it’s wrong. We’re—"

"Brothers?" Hunter laughs under his breath, dark, humorless. "We both know being raised under one roof doesn’t make us blood related." His tone deepens. "And even if it did... you really think something like that could stop me?"

Lucien turns his face away, pulse hammering. "Our parents would kill us."

Hunter’s jaw flexes. "Death and I are old friends, chiquitín. I’m not afraid of it."

Lucien’s breath stirs when Hunter leans closer, not touching, just... there. Too close. Too real.

Hunter lifts a hand and brushes a stray lock of hair off Lucien’s forehead, slow, careful, like Lucien might break if touched too roughly.

"I’d rather be in the lion’s den with you than in heaven without you," he murmurs.

Lucien’s knees nearly give out.

Silence snaps tight around them.

Hunter takes one more step forward, bodies not touching but close enough that the air vibrates with tension. "I can feel it on you," he says, voice low. "Your emotions bleed like a storm. Even if you don’t understand it... I do."

Lucien’s hands curl into fists. "You’re imagining it."

Hunter dips his head, inhaling not at Lucien’s throat, not crossing that line but close enough to sense something shifting, something awakening between them. His eyes sharpen.

"That’s not imagination," he whispers. "Something about you is changing."

Lucien stiffens, panic flickering in his chest. "Hunter—"

With that Hunter closed the distance again and kissed Lucien softly, this time Lucien resisted for a while before it softly disappeared, Hunter groaned in response as he released his grip on his hands, he tilted his head and deepened the kiss as his tongue delved in his mouth as he explored his mouth, his other hand came to his waist and pulled him closer to feel his bulge and rubbed against his stomach, "you taste even much sweeter than i had imagined mi pecadito" he said as he broke the kiss momentarily before he captured his lips again

A moan escaped from Lucien as he gasped as he kissed him , his body growing even more weaker , Hunter pulled from him "pheromones , you smell of pheremones" he growled as his eyes narrowed

Luciens eyes widened as he gasped to catch his breath "i told you ......i dont have pheremones" he said and Hunter leaned to his neck and inhaled that sweet scent that was driving him crazy , he was sure of it , Lucien had pheremones , even if Lucian cant smell it ,

Lucian gasped as Hunter lifted him in one swoop and took him to the bed as he laid him down gently , Huter looked at him with lust filled in his eyes "sorry but i cant hold it anymore mi pecadito"

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Morning light slips quietly through the curtains, soft and gold, warming the tangled sheets. Lucien wakes first. His eyelashes flutter, his mind still foggy from sleep and the chaos of everything that happened yesterday.

Then he feels it.

An arm strong, warm, undeniably Hunter’s wrapped around his waist. A slow inhale at the back of his neck. The weight of another body pressed against his.

Lucien freezes.

His heart jumps sharply, a tremor rushing through his stomach. He slowly turns his head, just enough to see Hunter’s face close to his shoulder, lips parted slightly in sleep, hair a beautiful mess. The memory of last night flashes through him, Hunter staying behind, the intense moment , those intense kisses and his pheromones driving him crazy , and the time he placed him on the bed ........

He swallows hard, face heating.

Oh god.

A knock hits the door.

Lucien’s eyes snap open wider.

Another knock, firmer this time.

"Lucien? Are you in there?" Merida calls from the hallway.

Lucien shoots upright so fast Hunter’s arm slips off him. Hunter groans and shifts, face burying into the pillow.

"Shit—shit—shit," Lucien whispers, fumbling with the sheets. He glances at the door like it might explode open. "Hunter... wake the fuck up," he hisses, shaking him urgently.

Hunter opens only one eye, annoyed but amused. "Why are you whispering like a panicked little mouse?"

Lucien grabs his shoulders. "Your mother is at the door dummy," he says in a strangled, breathless rush.

Hunter blinks... then smirks. Slowly. Wickedly.

He reaches out, hooks a hand around Lucien’s waist, and drags him down until they’re practically nose-to-nose.

"So what, mi pecadito?" he purrs.

"What’s wrong with ’brothers’ sharing a bed?" His fingertip traces a slow line along Lucien’s cheek.

Lucien’s breath catches, just for a second, before embarrassment slams into him. "No. Nope. Absolutely not—get off—!"

He pushes Hunter so hard he nearly sends him off the mattress. Clothes get thrown directly at Hunter’s face; he catches them one-handed, laughing under his breath.

"You are going to the bathroom," Lucien orders sharply, pointing like he’s directing traffic during a crisis. "And you’re not opening it until I tell you."

Hunter stands, bare chest smugly on display. "So we’re doing the forbidden romance thing," he says with a low, dramatic purr. "Such a delicious fantasy."

Lucien stares at him in pure disbelief.

Then he slams the bathroom door shut in Hunter’s face.

"It would’ve been cringe if you weren’t handsome," he mutters under his breath, running a hand through his hair to fix it.

The knock hits the door again.

Lucien nearly yelps as he jumps to open it.

He arranges his expression—tries to, anyway—and then pulls the door open.

"Hi, Merida," he says in a strangled gasp, chest still rising too fast.

Merida scans him, confused. "Were you working out this morning? You look... flushed."

"Nope. Normal. Just morning. Air." He laughs awkwardly.

She steps inside, looking around the room. "Have you seen your brother? He and Tracy went missing last night. I didn’t get a chance to track them, I was dealing with something else."

Lucien’s mouth goes dry.

But he keeps smiling.

"Well," he clears his throat, "I don’t have a clue where they could have gone."

Behind him, very faintly, the bathroom door gives a soft click, like someone accidentally leaned on it.

Merida turns her head.

Lucien’s smile freezes